新華嚴經論 6.15

6.15

第十明所付法藏流通別者，如此〈如來出現品〉中說「佛子！此法門，如來不為餘眾生說，唯為趣向大乘菩薩說，唯為乘不思議乘菩薩說。此經法門不入一切餘眾生手，唯除菩薩摩訶薩。佛子！譬如轉輪聖王所有七寶，因此寶故顯示輪王，此寶不入餘眾生手，唯除第一夫人所生大子具足成就聖王相者。若轉輪王無此大子具眾德者，王命終後，此諸寶等於七日中悉皆散滅。佛子！此經珍寶亦復如是，不入一切餘眾生手，唯除如來法王真子，生如來家、種如來相諸善根者。佛子！若無此等佛之真子，如是法門不久散滅。何以故？一切二乘不聞此經，何況受持讀誦書寫分別解說，唯諸菩薩乃能如是，是故菩薩聞此法門應大歡喜，以尊重心恭敬頂受。何以故？菩薩摩訶薩信樂此經，疾得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提故。」解云：生如來家者，自覺自身法身根本智，與佛真性性相平等同無性味，混然法界、自他情盡，唯佛智慧明徹十方，無性無依、無生死性，名為生在佛家。以自體無作平等悲智力故，紹隆正法統治眾生，隨所應作以法調伏，令諸眾生差生死業，所有一切安樂之法皆悉樂之，是則名為持佛家法。又云種如來相諸善根者，解云：證佛法身，性同法界、同佛悲智，如是信修，理事不殊、性相平等。如是學者，種如來相，同佛善根，不同權教付囑三乘聲聞菩薩所共流通。又三乘之教多付囑諸聖及未生佛家諸凡夫者，此經付囑最上大心凡夫唯求如來不思議乘生佛家者，若無大心凡夫求此法門生如來家，此經當滅。何以故？為此經難信。設有聖，說凡夫不信不證，此經當滅。若不如是付囑凡夫生佛家者，聖位菩薩有一切佛世界微塵數，如來何慮此經散滅？當知如是。如來意者，令諸凡夫生佛家者而起信修，不念已齊佛位諸菩薩眾。諸有行者應如是知。何故三乘之教多付囑諸聖者令使流通，及付囑未生佛家諸凡夫等？為三乘之法未出情塵，明法未真，易信解故，且令凡聖共讚，令教流行，善根不斷。未出情量，不似此十信之終剎那即佛故。以此義故，三乘之教且漸引生未出情塵，三僧祇劫方得作佛，順情之教根易信故，凡聖共讚皆得流通。不同《華嚴》，十方諸佛根本智法及差別智大慈大悲，法出情塵教深難信故，要待入證十住之位生在佛家為佛真子，方是流通。但有聖說無人證者，不名流通。但有凡夫說教無證者，亦不名流通。為自法不明，疑情猶在，不破他暗故，未能決定知佛意故。以此義故，要待入證，同諸佛智心，方可決知佛教門故。以是義故，付囑大心凡夫入證者故，始名流通。但聞不契，不名流通。

Tenth, explaining the difference in the transmission and propagation of the Dharma repository: As stated in this 'Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathāgata': 'Sons of the Buddha! This Dharma gate is not spoken by the Tathāgata for other sentient beings; it is spoken solely for bodhisattvas who are advancing toward the Great Vehicle, solely for bodhisattvas who ride the inconceivable vehicle. This sūtra's Dharma gate does not enter the hands of any other sentient beings, except for bodhisattva-mahāsattvas. Sons of the Buddha! Just as, for example, the seven treasures of a wheel-turning sage king display the wheel-turning king by virtue of these treasures, and these treasures do not enter the hands of other sentient beings, except for the eldest son born of the primary consort who is fully endowed with the marks of a sage king; if the wheel-turning king lacks such an eldest son endowed with the multitude of virtues, then after the king's life ends, these treasures will all scatter and disappear within seven days. Sons of the Buddha! The rare treasure of this sūtra is also like this: it does not enter the hands of any other sentient beings, except for the true sons of the Tathāgata, the Dharma King, who are born into the Tathāgata's household and have planted the various good roots of the Tathāgata's marks. Sons of the Buddha! If there are no such true sons of the Buddha, this Dharma gate will scatter and perish before long. Why is this? All those of the two vehicles do not hear this sūtra, let alone uphold, read, recite, copy, distinguish, and explain it; only bodhisattvas can do so. Therefore, bodhisattvas, upon hearing this Dharma gate, should give rise to great joy, and with a reverent mind respectfully receive it upon the crowns of their heads. Why is this? Because bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who faithfully delight in this sūtra will swiftly attain anuttarā samyaksambodhi.'

To explain: 'Born into the Tathāgata's household' means that one self-awakens to one's own body's fundamental wisdom of the dharmakāya, which is equal in nature and characteristic with the Buddha's true nature, sharing the identical flavor of non-nature. Blended into the dharmadhātu, emotions of self and other are exhausted; solely the Buddha's wisdom brightly illuminates the ten directions. Being without nature, without dependence, and without the nature of saṃsāra—this is called being born into the Buddha's household. By the power of the unconditioned, equal compassion and wisdom of one's own essence, one carries on and glorifies the true Dharma and governs sentient beings, subduing them with the Dharma in accordance with what should be done, causing sentient beings to cure their karma of saṃsāra, making them delight in all peaceful and joyful dharmas—this is called upholding the laws of the Buddha's household. Furthermore, it says: 'have planted the various good roots of the Tathāgata's marks.' To explain: One realizes the Buddha's dharmakāya, whose nature is identical with the dharmadhātu and identical with the Buddha's compassion and wisdom; having faith and practicing like this, principle and phenomena are not distinct, nature and characteristics are equal. Students such as this plant the marks of the Tathāgata and share the Buddha's good roots; it is not like the provisional teachings that are entrusted to the three vehicles to be propagated in common by śrāvakas and bodhisattvas. Furthermore, whereas the teachings of the three vehicles are mostly entrusted to the various āryas and to ordinary people who have not yet been born into the Buddha's household, this sūtra is entrusted to ordinary people of supreme, great aspiration who solely seek the Tathāgata's inconceivable vehicle and birth into the Buddha's household. If there are no ordinary people of great aspiration seeking this Dharma gate to be born into the Tathāgata's household, this sūtra will perish. Why? Because this sūtra is difficult to believe. Even if there are āryas, if ordinary people neither believe nor realize it when it is preached, this sūtra will perish. If it were not entrusted in this way to ordinary people born into the Buddha's household, then since bodhisattvas of the ārya stages are as numerous as the dust motes in all Buddha worlds, why would the Tathāgata worry about this sūtra scattering and perishing? One should understand it thus. The Tathāgata's intention is to cause ordinary people who will be born into the Buddha's household to arouse faith and practice; he does not mind the multitude of bodhisattvas who already equal the Buddha's stage. All practitioners should know this. Why are the teachings of the three vehicles mostly entrusted to the various āryas to bring about their propagation, as well as to ordinary people who have not yet been born into the Buddha's household? Because the dharmas of the three vehicles have not yet transcended emotional dust, their explanation of the Dharma is not yet ultimate, and they are easy to believe and understand; thus he lets ordinary people and āryas praise them together so that the teachings circulate and good roots are not severed. They do not transcend the scope of emotion, unlike the culmination of these ten faiths where an instant (kṣaṇa) is itself buddhahood. For this reason, the teachings of the three vehicles merely guide gradually those who have not yet transcended emotional dust, taking three asaṃkhyeya kalpas before they can become buddhas; since teachings that accord with emotion are easily believed by such capacities, when ordinary people and āryas praise them together, they can all circulate. This is unlike the Avataṃsaka, where the fundamental wisdom of the buddhas of the ten directions and the discriminating wisdom of great kindness and great compassion transcend emotional dust, and the teaching is so profound that it is difficult to believe; hence, it must wait for someone to enter and realize the stage of the ten abodes, being born into the Buddha's household as a true son of the Buddha, before it is truly propagated. If there is merely an ārya who preaches it but no one realizes it, this is not called propagation. If there is merely an ordinary person who expounds the teaching without realization, this also is not called propagation. This is because their own understanding of the Dharma is not clear, doubts and sentiments still remain, and they cannot shatter the darkness of others; they have not yet definitively known the Buddha's intent. For this reason, one must wait for someone to enter and realize it, sharing the wisdom-mind of the buddhas, before one can definitively know the Buddha's teaching gate. For this reason, it is entrusted to ordinary people of great aspiration who enter into realization; only then is it called propagation. Merely hearing it without tallying with it is not called propagation.